v80z Posted August 11, 2007 Share Posted August 11, 2007 I am looking at buying 1996- 2001 BMW 7 series as a family sedan. I have done a fair amount of research athttp://e38.org/. There are some known issues but those can be solved. I was wondering if any Hybrid Z people had any owenership experience with these cars and any opions. Right now there is a private Geman service center here that have several different types of used BMWs for sale. The one I am interested in is a Navy Blue 1998 750il. Tan interior. Fully serviced. 130k miles. He had bought it at auction and it had the usual issues of Vacuum leaks, dash LEDs out and had to retorque the oil pump. The displays are replaced and the the whole intake system, which looked complicated, has been re-gasketed. Anyway the though of owning a 12 cylinder car is very tempting. And it is priced right. It wouldnt be my primary driver as I have an old pickup but toting me and 2 kids in a single cab truck gets old. OH BTW I got V80z up for sale again if anyone is interested. New cv boots all around!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators RTz Posted August 11, 2007 Administrators Share Posted August 11, 2007 My son-in-law has a 740i. Its been temperamental since day one. I'm fond of BMW's... but not that specific model. It doesn't strike me as very representative of the rest of the BMW line, from a 'drivers' perspective. I much prefer the feel of the 5 series. If you haven't driven a 740 yet, I recommend that be your next step. Happy Hunting, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 Automatic transmissions are good for 120K miles behind the 12 cylinder. If it hasn't already been repalced, plan on replacing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
e_racer1999 Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 ...I'm fond of BMW's... but not that specific model. It doesn't strike me as very representative of the rest of the BMW line, from a 'drivers' perspective. I much prefer the feel of the 5 series...., i agree 100% with ron here. the 5-series has almost as much room, and even with the six makes plenty of power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators RTz Posted August 13, 2007 Administrators Share Posted August 13, 2007 Automatic transmissions are good for 120K miles behind the 12 cylinder. If it hasn't already been repalced, plan on replacing it. My son-in-law's tranny went belly-up under 100K (V8). Maybe a fluke?!?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexideways Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 i agree 100% with ron here. the 5-series has almost as much room, and even with the six makes plenty of power. He is talking about an 750 "il" here, there is NO way the 5 series will have near the same amount of room as the 7. As a BMW dealership mechanic, I would advise against such a purchase, at 130K miles, the engine is reaching (if not already passed) the end of it's good service life (poorly serviced cars are WAY lower than that...) before a rebuilt. Just think about having to buy 12 BMW pistons, 12 rods, 16 valves and so forth, plus the time consuming task (if you do it yourself) or the money involved (if you have it done) to remove this complex piece of an engine from the car, open it, measure all those parts, reassemble, put back in... It's not worth it, sure you can get a 12 cyl. for $500 at the junkyard but, odds are that it will be in worst condition than yours... Like I say to everyone who asks, people come in to see us all the time with a big grin on there face, all happy about there new toy they just bought from a private garage, looking to get it inspected to know what it NEEDS and (no joke here) many of them start crying when we tell them they have about 10 to 12 grands (which is about what they paid for the car) to put in the car, to bring it back to it's original glory. They are very comfy, always broken cars with a lot of bells & whistles that can go wrong and are pretty expensive to fix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
v80z Posted August 14, 2007 Author Share Posted August 14, 2007 Axelsideways I appreciate the information. You have changed my mind. I figured it would not be a prudent buy. However this would not be a daily driver. Also the particular vehicle is at a local private BMW service shop that has been in the area for at least 15 years. I spoke with the owner of the store and he actually services the cars. I asked him about the LEDs, the oil pump bolts, the radiator, the transmission, etc, all the questionable items that came up on e38.org. First of all he said he bought this one at auction and it was a piece of SH$T!! He said the main thing it need was intake system sealing. Many vacuum leaks gave false lean condition to o2 sensors causing faults He said that the Dash LED clusters had been replaced and were 95% lit Now I know this guy is trying to sell the car but he is a known business and I dont think it would bode well for him if he were selling stuff that needs more repair than mentioned. however I am always skeptical. He is asking $13,900.00 USD. If I went forward I would like to offer something less. $10k USD http://eastcoastexotics.net/ http://www.eastcoastexotics.net/inventory.html Lemme know what you think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
e_racer1999 Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 He is talking about an 750 "il" here, there is NO way the 5 series will have near the same amount of room as the 7. oh no, i understood the difference between a full-size and a mid-size car in respect to interior dimensions. i was say in comparison to a Z, the interior is like a national park LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexideways Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 the interior is like a national park LOL Thats a good one... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSM Posted December 15, 2010 Share Posted December 15, 2010 Old thread I know, alexideways, I was considering a 740i purchase as well, however, after reading your comments I am reconsidering. My question though, is the maintenance on the 740i that difficult to perform? Or is it just the parts? I had a 89 325ic that I thought was fairly straight forward. If you had to chose a year with the least fleas in the 95-01 range what year and why? Also from a maintenace perspective what is the best model going in BMW in pre 2003 models, but not too old? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.